


Kate's Castle

by TeaNSympathy



Category: For the People (TV 2018)
Genre: F/M, Fairy Tale Elements, Fairy Tale Style
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-07
Updated: 2019-03-07
Packaged: 2019-11-13 13:47:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18032894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeaNSympathy/pseuds/TeaNSympathy
Summary: Princess Kate's birthday present leads to unintended consequences.





	Kate's Castle

**Author's Note:**

  * For [litra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/litra/gifts).



> We made it through the hiatus!  
> Thank you so much to Litra and ElijahDarling for making this all happen!

The large package is sitting in the middle of the breakfast table in the Great Hall on the morning of Princess Kate’s twenty-ninth birthday. Recognizing the shimmering, iridescent paper that is her fairy godmother’s trademark, Kate looks eagerly around for her but sees only her guardian.  
“Where’s Jill?” she asks hopefully. “She’s still here, right?  
Lord Roger puts down the scroll he is reading and sighs, shaking his head.  
“No. It was here this morning, but nobody’s seen her at all.”  
His dour expression is even more dour than usual. Even though he and Jill have been squabbling over every aspect of Kate’s upbringing ever since her parents were killed in a carriage accident years ago, Kate has an idea that he looks forward to her fairy godmother’s visits just as much as she does. It’s the only time she ever sees him smile.  
Kate notices a gold envelope peeking from under the sparkling ribbon and slides it out. The card reads, “Kate, darling – so sorry to miss your birthday. Bit of a situation with the other goddaughter. Enjoy this and I’ll see you soon. Love, Jill.”  
“Wonder what Sandra’s done now.” Kate mutters under her breath. She is disappointed to miss seeing Jill, but the package beckons. Before Roger can suggest that it might be more appropriate to wait until her birthday dinner that evening, she begins to carefully remove the paper. Inside is a smooth white box that looks as though it is carved of alabaster. She raises the lid and realizes to her delight that there is a brilliantly colored picture painted on the inside of the lid.  
“It’s the castle of Capitolia!” she breathes in thrilled recognition. The white marble castle of Capitolia is known throughout the land as one of the most beautiful palaces ever built, with its glittering turrets and crystal-bedecked archways. The scholars of Capitolia are renowned for their wisdom; the flora and fauna is supposed to be spectacular and unlike anything to be found in Foliana, the kingdom of which Kate will be Queen once she has reached her thirtieth birthday. Kate has always longed to see Capitolia in person. Unfortunately, the dangers of Capitolia are in proportion to its beauties. Tales abound of the ferocious animals that threaten travelers, the poison fruits that mimic their harmless counterparts, and the wicked Queen Tina who rules with an iron fist. Roger will not hear of Kate making such a risky journey, so she unwillingly tries to sate her curiosity about it with books and paintings. And now this gift.  
Inside the box are hundreds of tiny cubes made something that is not marble, not ivory, and not pearl, but which closely resemble all three substances. Some are white, some are gold, and some are sparkling. Kate ponders, looking from the cubes to the picture. She picks one up, and then another, stacking them on top of each other. The two pieces stick to each other, forming a smooth whole. A joyous smile spreads across Kate’s face as she realizes the nature of the gift and continues putting the pieces together.  
She works on the miniature castle for days, stopping only when Roger insists that she take meals and get sleep. Finally, she has put it all together. There are no cubes left in the box. Exhaling in delight, she takes a few steps backward to admire her handiwork, but then freezes in horror as she realizes that something is wrong. The highest tower is missing a piece, leaving a jarring, noticeable absence in one of its crenellations. Her heart sinking, she searches the floor for it but to no avail. She calls in Roger and he searches as well but without success; he then calls in the courtiers and they all frantically comb the area, but nobody is able to find the missing piece.  
Roger suggests that perhaps she should give up and consider the castle as finished as it is going to get. She has fallen behind in her studies of the law and history of Foliana and, as he reminds her, she will be Queen in less than a year and still has quite a bit of preparation to do before she is ready to rule a kingdom. Kate does enjoy her studies, but she is not ready to give up.  
“What about a contest?” she suggests.  
“A contest?”  
“Yes. You’re always telling me I need to think about getting married soon. Let’s hold a contest and announce that whoever is able to find my missing piece or bring me a substitute that works can have my hand in marriage.”  
Roger does not appear thrilled with the idea, but he really wants to find a solution to the castle issue so that Kate can go back to her studies. Plus, after serving as Kate’s guardian for the past twenty-some years he has learned how futile it is to try to talk her out of anything once she has made her mind up.  
“I suppose there are worse ways to find a spouse,” he acquiesces.  
Word goes out through all the land about the contest and prospective suitors begin showing up in droves. They bring pieces that they have created themselves, pieces made of wood and metal and bone. None of the pieces fit. Lord Leonard of the West brings a piece of the finest gold, studded with tiny diamonds. It sparkles beautifully in the sun, but when Kate tries to fit it into the castle it is far too large for the space on the tower. Lady Anya of the South causes a stir when she shows up with her bow and arrow and shoots her piece into the castle. Kate thinks for a minute that the problem is solved, but the piece just pops right back out again.  
Finally, there are no more candidates left. Kate and Roger are sitting alone in the Great Hall, Kate staring glumly at the incomplete castle and Roger, exhausted from a long day of meeting prospective suitors, indulging in a well-deserved goblet of mead.  
“Maybe it’s time to just give it up, your highness,” Roger says with unusual gentleness. “It’s still a fine castle.”  
“I wanted to finish it.” Kate says miserably, staring at the space where there should be a cube. It taunts her. Order has always been important to Kate. Her jewels always had to be perfectly lined up in the jewel box; her books were arranged by size and then by color on the shelf. The missing piece gnaws at her; makes her feel unsafe and vaguely queasy. It demands attention.  
“Maybe Jill could-" Roger begins.  
“Excuse me, your highness, but there is a visitor at the door. Shall I send him in?”  
“This late?” Roger scowls disapprovingly, but Kate is intrigued.  
“We should at least see who it is.”  
“All right, but whoever it is had better be quick.”  
The servant bows, disappears, and reappears with a young man about Kate’s age. He is slightly built, dressed in peasant clothing, and has dark hair and sparkling brown eyes. He looks vaguely familiar, but she cannot remember where she’s seen him before.  
“Your highness!” he bows deeply in her direction.  
“And your lordship,” he acknowledges Roger similarly.  
Suddenly Kate has a mental image of him lugging a huge basket of clothing across the palace lawn and realizes where she knows him from.  
“You’re the washerwoman’s boy, aren’t you?”  
He winces a bit.  
“I actually really prefer laundering artisan – but sure, that works. Or you could just call me Jay. That’s my name.”  
“OK then. Jay, What are you doing here?”  
From his pocket Jay produces something small and gleaming. He holds it up so that Kate can see what it is.  
“I heard that you were looking for this,” he says with a smile. “We found it at the bottom of one of the washtubs after laundering one of your dresses. It must have fallen into a pocket.”  
Kate’s heart leaps and her eyes fill with tears of joy. Reverently she holds out her hand for the piece and he places it gently into her palm. She has to stand on her tiptoes to reach the top of the miniature castle’s tallest tower, but she is able to carefully fit the piece into place. At that moment, the full moon outside bursts through a cloud and the silvery moonlight spills through the tall window of the Great Hall, illuminating the castle and making it gleam. Even Roger cannot repress a gasp at its beauty.  
“That’s just how I remember it,” Jay whispers in awe. “On moonlit nights, it used to glow just like that.”  
“Wait!” Kate turns away from the castle, shocked. “How you remember it? You mean you’ve actually been to Capitolia?”  
“Oh yes. We’re from there. My father was one of the wisest scholars. Unfortunately some of the other scholars became jealous and hatched a plot to destroy him, so we had to flee the country and wound up here, in Foliana. I was quite small when we left, but I do remember it well.”  
“Tell me everything you know! I am so hungry to see it!”  
“I’ll be happy to – but why don’t you go see it yourself if you want to so much? It’s not that far; only a week or so of riding.”  
“It’s too dangerous.” Roger interjects firmly. “ I can’t have the future queen of Foliana subject herself to such risks.  
Jay shakes his head.  
“I mean, I’ve heard the stories too – but it’s really not all that dangerous. I mean, yes, there are sharks in the moat around the castle – but they keep them well fed! The serpents mostly keep to themselves and the dragons are so tiny they’re no threat to anybody. The poisonous fruit has completely different leaves from the non-poisonous fruit, so as long as you check that before eating anything, you’ll be fine. I know Queen Tina has a bad reputation, but she’s actually quite kind and fair. She was always very good to my family before we left. The only really bad part is the scholars who plotted against my father, and they won’t be any threat to you.”  
Kate’s heart is pounding with excitement at the thought that she could actually see Capitolia in person.  
“Please, Roger!” she pleads.  
His brow furrows in concern.  
“I can’t just let you-“  
“What if I go along too?” Jay offers excitedly. “I know all the back ways and how to avoid the sharks and the serpents and the dragons. I can keep you safe and help you identify the poisonous fruit. I'd love to see Queen Tina again and I’m sure she’d like to meet you!”  
“We could form an alliance with Capitolia!” Kate suggests hopefully to Roger. “You’re always saying we need more alliances – this could be a great opportunity!”  
“Oh, do let her go, Roger! Don’t be such a worrywart!”  
Jill has suddenly materialized out of thin air in the middle of the hall, causing them all to jump a bit in surprise.  
“I really wish you wouldn’t do that,” Roger mutters, but nobody pays any attention.  
“Kate is a grown woman and she can take care of herself. And I’m sure Jay will do an excellent job of looking after her. He seems like a very responsible - .”  
“But what about the wedding?” Roger interrupts. “We need to start planning that as soon as possible! Things like that take time!”  
“Wedding?” Jay and Kate gasp in unison. Kate realizes that she has been so excited about the missing piece that she had completely forgotten about that part of the contest.  
“Oh, I’m not going to hold you to that!” Jay says quickly. “That’s not why I brought it back, it’s just – I found it and it’s yours. “He blushes a bit as he turns to Kate. “I mean, it’s not that I don’t want to- you’re very beautiful and all – but you’re a princess! You really need to marry someone royal. Or at least someone rich! Not someone like me.”  
“Excellent point!” Roger says, pleased. “Well, we’ll certainly make sure you get a reward at the very least. Now, let me get someone to show you out.”  
“What about Capitolia?” Everyone turns to look at Kate, who is growing increasingly frustrated.  
“Not going to happen." Roger says firmly, avoiding the irritated look Jill is giving him.  
“I’m going to be queen in less than a year! And I want this more than anything. I need to see it for myself and I’m not afraid. And as for getting married, I really haven't thought about it! But I don’t know why I can’t just marry Jay…IF that’s what I want to do. We did say that’s the reward. I’m sure we’ll get to know each other on the trip and then we can decide later if we want to get married or not. Although who says I have to marry anybody anyway!” She steals a glance at Jay, who looks pleased. His brown eyes are clear and warm and when he gives her a shy smile she suddenly has the feeling that everything will be all right.  
“Queen Tina isn’t married. And she’s a great queen.” Jay observes helpfully.  
Roger is still scowling, but before he can offer any further objections Jill announces, “I think that all sounds very reasonable. How about this, Roger? I’ll stay here at the palace as long as Kate’s gone. Any time you’re concerned we can use my magic mirror to check in with her. What do you think?”  
A smile is slowly beginning to creep across Roger’s face at the prospect.  
“Well…I guess I can’t fight all three of you. Have fun, Kate. Be careful!” He shakes Jay’s hand. “You too. I’m counting on you to bring her back in one piece.”  
“Yes, sir!” Jay is beaming. “I’d better go let my mother know. Thank you all! I can't wait to see Capitolia again!”  
After he leaves, Kate gives Roger and Jill both a hug.  
“Thank you both. I’ll be back before you know it.” She sighs happily, still not quite believing her dream is really about to be reality.  
“I’d better go pack!”  
She heads for her room, but on her way she turns to look back once more at her castle, whole and glowing in the moonlight like a promise of wonderful things to come.


End file.
